Is it January 2014 Already?!?

Our little family trio had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends in the States this Winter. Mark and I were able to introduce William Cole to his great grandparents and watch him make some great memories with his many cousins. We spent 3 weeks visiting churches and supporters in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee this year...all with a 1-yr old in tow! Will had his first set of church nursery experiences, some of which were good...and others...not so much, but overall he traveled like a professional and we couldn't have asked for better behavior. Thanks for all of the prayers in that area!

Our trip was full of God moments and little side adventures that made our 6-weeks away from Honduras fly by. On our way to FBC of Meridianville, AL from Go Global in Memphis, TN, we took a little detour to visit some Civil War monuments in Pulaski, TN, which led us to a sporting goods store that was having a going out of business sale. We were able to purchase over 600 baseball hats for the Las Minas Christmas Toy Give-A-Way for $0.50 each! So after purchasing said hats (40 boxes of them) I realized that they may not fit into the already loaded down, Toyota Camry we were borrowing. After some creative packing (see picture below) we were on our way!
  

Where's Waldo?

We had a great visit with FBC of Meridianville, AL, who sent a team back in October to install a water purification and storage system at the Jungle Hospital. We were honored to give the church an update on the system and all of the other incredible things God has done in 2013.

Mark was able to help Instituto El Rey (the Christian high school across the street from the hospital) acquire some new marching band equipment. The band students will have a new drum line and harnesses, and we are working on getting marching drum sticks and mallets, as well. Mark has done a great job teaching the marching band for the past 3 years, and they are improving more and more each year.

Receiving drums and hats at the Jungle Hospital.

My sister, Sarah, got married and we spent a wonderful week visiting with family surrounding the festivities. It was really great to see my step-cousins which I hadn't seen in years, and to visit with all of my immediate family for a whole week!

Heather's Sister's Wedding

Mark's brother, Trey, had a baby girl and entered Club Parenthood while we were visiting. It was wonderful to see sweet Abbigayle McKenzi Younger. Now Mark and I are getting baby fever again. They just don't stay newborn very long, do they?

Abbigayle McKenzie Younger

We had a small Holiday Update party with some of our HPC friends and supporters, and had our yearly meeting with the HPC Missions Team and Pastors Mike and Rachel Haman. It was great to see everyone interact with Wild Will and get some good Louisiana hugs.

Two of my favorite people, Chepa and Will, meet at the Holiday Party!

We wrapped up the visit with Christmas celebrations on both sides of the family, and made some last minute meetings with supporters and friends. Our schedule was so full but even at the end of the 6 weeks there seemed like there was still so much to do and so many people to see. As we sat on the tarmac in the Baton Rouge airport waiting to depart we were sad to leave all of our family and friends behind, but we were excited to start another year serving with the Jungle Hospital.

Christmas at the Saavedra House

The Younger Family Tree

The 2014-2015 season marks the end of the 5 year commitment I made to HHGlobal back in 2009, and just like our 6 week trip in the States, I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. Mark and I have enjoyed every moment of living out this faith adventure, every day putting one foot forward and expanding God's Kingdom one step at a time. We couldn't have asked for better people to serve with than the Williams family and the rest of the HHGlobal staff.

When we look back on our lives, the one thing Mark and I want to see is fruit - good, Godly fruit. More than anything we want to be in God's perfect will for our lives. We want to do what he puts before us with passion and commitment. When we stand before God on the last day we want him to be proud of the work we have done, the relationships we fostered, and the way we spent the time he gave to us. We want him to say, "Well done, my good and faithful servants."

We continue to seek His will, and we ask you to be in prayer with us as we pray for passion and boldness. We push forward knowing that He is faithful to provide guidance, and that He is the lamp unto our feet. 2014 is going to be an incredible year in the House of the Lord. We can't wait to see what He has next for the Younger Family!